The Evil of the Daleks

Book review by Stuart Brown

The Evil of the Daleks would have to be my most awaited book ever so it was to my delight when finally it was novelised after a very long wait.

In many respects it reads like The Power of the Daleks, but much better. Peel's characterisations are more sophisticated and just about every single person the Doctor encounters is given a background which is not necessary to the overall plot but adds a more diverse flavour and feeling to the whole book.

The events are told accurately and Peel has put in his own little touches which make it interesting to read - The Power of the Daleks fell down in the action department but this has plenty of it and it really is exciting too! The Doctor was at his best during this story am it would easily have worked as a Seventh Doctor story with Ace, as the Doctor is dark am mysterious and slightly manipulative.

When Kennedy encounters a Dalek on page 54 the thoughts he has were unnecessary but it did make me think how the Whoniverse fitted in with the 'real world'. It isn't the best Doctor Who novel available but is up there with Remembrance of the Daleks, Ghost Light, The Curse of Fenric and Battlefield. The high page-count helps and makes it seem believable, something which The Power of the Daleks fails to achieve to a terribly high standard. Read and enjoy - you won't be disappointed.